Tacking machine



Sept. 25, 1951 A. J. BATTE-:N

TACKING MACHINE Filed Jan. ll, 1949 Patented Sept. 25, 1951 TACKING MACHINE Alfred John Batten, Brentford, England, assignor to Gerrard Industries Limited,

England Brentford,

Application January 11, 1949, Serial No. 70,289 In Great Britain January 22, 1948 This invention relates to stapling machines of the kind in which staples in strip form are fed from a magazine and are sheared oi and driven home by means of a spring actuated hammer.

A stapling machine of the above kind according to the invention has a body part and a manually operable handle pivoted to the body part, movement in one direction of the handle serving to compress the hammer actuating spring and later to release a trigger lever itself pivoted to the handle and movement in the other direction serving to re-engage the trigger lever with a combined hammer and shearing blade by which the actuating spring is compressed on the next movement of the handle.

The trigger lever works in a slot in the body of the machine and has a cam portion cooperating with a pin fixed transversely across the slot to eiect disengagement from the hammer when the actuating spring is fully compressed. A double torsion spring coiled about the pivot of the trigger lever serves the double purpose of pressing the trigger into engagement with the hammer and returning the handle of the machin after operative movement is complete.

The body of the machine is preferably made of a light alloy and has a slotl for the operators ngers. The magazine for the strip of staples is a plain rectangular section open slot in the base of the body and keyed grooves are provided in the body for the reception of a sliding cover which may be a steel pressing, said cover enclosing both the magazine and the hammer operating mechanism.

The handle of the machine may be another steel pressing which i'lts over the body part so as to avoid lost movement as the handle and body part come together on the operative stroke of the handle.

Other features of the invention include the provision of a separate hardened steel anvil piece fixed to the magazine cover by a screw or screws for use with staples; separable hammer and shearing blade pieces so as to provide for using staples of dilTerent widths by using blades of different widths; and the provision of a bayonet type cap for simple closure of the magazine slot.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following descrip- 4 Claims.

tion of a specic embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like referencey characters indicate like parts throughout the'several figures and in which:

Fig. l is a side view, partially in section, of a machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line II-lI of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view of the machine cover.

Referring specically to the drawing, a machine in accordance with the present invention comprises a light alloy body I with a suitably shaped aperture 2 for the fingers of the operator, so that the upper part of the body can be conveniently gripped. The base of the body is provided with a rectangular section open slot 3 for the reception of a strip of partly separated or separate adhesive joined staples S. A light coil spring 6 working in the slot 3 urges the staples forward in the slot towards the front of the body. The strips of staples are fed into the rear end of the magazine slot and are urged forward by the compression spring 6. The rear end of the magazine slot is closed by a removably seated bayonet type plug or cap 26.

The front of the body has a face 2| perpenricular to the base, and this face is slotted to form a guide and enclosure for the combined hammer and shearing blade and the actuating spring. A rather deep slot 28 opens through the top of the body and extends to a dead end at the base and this slot forms aV guide for the hammer 8 and an enclosure for the actuating spring 9 which bears on the hammer 8. A shallow slot 21 extends from the dead end of the slot 28 through the body base and forms a guide for ,the shearing or driving blade 'I. A narrow slot I0 extending from the rear oi the slot 28 and through the height of the body I accommodates and guides a trigger lever I2.

A -hard steel pin I I is tted transversely across the slot II) towards the front of its upper end. This pin serves as an abutment or cam to withdraw the trigger lever I2 from engagement with the hammer Band thereby release the hammer and shearing blade to the influence of the spring 9. A pressed hollow actuating lever or handle I3 is pivoted to the upper part of the body by a pivot I4 which Iis located at a distance from the front face 2| of the body equal to about one-thirdof the overall length of the body.

A second pivot pin I5 is carried by the handle I3 and is located approximately halfway between the main pivot I4 and the forward end of the handle. This pin carries the trigger lever I2 and torsional spring I6, the ends of which are compressed against the underside of the handle and the back of the trigger lever. The effect of this spring is to urge the trigger lever toward the 5 hammer 8 and against the hard steel pin I I and to urge theloperative end of the handle@ I3 away from the. body.

The trigger lever has a hook I'I for engagement with a notch I 8 in the rear face of the hammer 8; 10;.

The underside of the hook is curved to facilitate this engagement. Above the hook, the trigger lever has a cam part or projection I9ewhich en' gages the hard steel pin II'f tot effect disengagement of the hook from the hammer and shearing 15 blade after the latter has been,raised a predetermined distance by the hook I'IJ oni a closing movement of the handle.

The hammer and shearing blade may be formed'l as a single piece fromhardened steel or may 20 befconstructed to be separable` In the latter casethe shearing blade 'I may be removablyatta-ched, as by oneorv more countersunk screws 29 orthe like, to the hammer 8. By the latter construction, blades I e of different `widths .maybe g5 selectivelyinstalled to deal with staplesof different widths,.and shims or packing. piecesfmay-be used as and where necessary.

Keyed grooves or the'like 4 are provided inthe longitudinal sides of the body for the reception .of 30 the; magazine. cover' 5b of acombined magazine andffront cover 5 which `'may be slid in from the front of the-machine and may be held in. position by. pins 25.A passing transversely'through the body above the-magazine slot 3. In addition-to the 35 magazine cover 5b, the-cover 5also comprisesa front cover portion 5a which fits over the front facef2l 1 of thebody I and encloses the shearing blade slot r2'I and-hammer slot .28, the front Wall of' the front cover 5a forming thefront. guide 40 surfacefor the blade 'land hammer 8.-

The front coverv 5a terminatesin a.top parti? which covers.-the openupper end-of the. hammer slot 28, said top-part 5 having. anopeningfor passage ofthe actuatingspring 9. This toppart opening is closed by a-removablyj seated bayonet plugor cap 20.that also compresses thespring 9 down-0n thetop yof the hammer 82 Thus, ifjthe actuating spring 9 jams or. breaks itis readily accessible by removalof the cap20. ,o

A small slot 23. isprovided in the forward'end of rthe vbase ofl the. cover 5 for passage of a staple S and the shearing blade T, and a hardened steel anvil piece 2.4. may be removably. secured to the inside of the cover with its shearing edge in line K with the rear face of the slot 232 This anvil 5 piece 24 may be replaced' by a piece slightly shorter or longer, or it may be providedwitli a slot' for adjustment. so that its edger may be brought into the correct operative relationship with a wider or narrower shearing blade 1.' 00

The operation of the machine is as follows: The bayonet' plugior'cap 26 at the rearend ofl the magazine slot 3 is removed and a' stripof.' staples S is fed in. The light. compression springf6-` is fed in behind neemY emrthe cap ze is replaced. 5 Theforemost staple is now held with itsA` forward'edge bearingagainst thev back of 'theshearing blade` I and moves into operative position against the-inside of the front cover plate 5a as theV blade is lifted foran operatlvestroke;

TheV machine is held. in positionA with' its'l lower forward edge resting on the work-piece into which the staple is to be driven. The hand lever I3 is then depressed, compressing the actuating spring 9 by lifting of the hammer 8 through the engagement of the trigger hook I1 with the hammer notch I8.

Further depression of the handle I3 raises the trigger. lever I2 until the cam part I9Y engages the hard. steel pin IIk which cams the trigger rearwardly, releasing the hook from the notch and allowing the hammer and shearing blade to be driven forcibly down by the expansion of theA actuating spring. The hand lever is then permitted to. return under the influence of the torsionalspring I6-on the trigger lever pivot, and towards theiend'ofits return stroke the hook part of the trigger lever (which is curved on the undersitle') reeengagesthe recess in the rear face ofthe hammer and shearing blade combination.

Thereafter the staples will be successively driven home for each depression of the hand lever until-the magazine is exhausted.

Inthe case of any'fault or jam in the magazine or other part, the whole interior and workingpartscan be immediately made available by removal of the pins 25 and withdrawal of the combined magazine and front cover plate.

Although a certain specific embodimentof the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that many modications thereof are pos.- sible. The invention, therefore, is not to bere.- stricted eXceptin so far as is necessitated by the prior artand by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a stapling machine of the type including a body portion having a staple magazine in the bottom part and an actuating mechanism including a hammer and. shearing blade assembly in the` frontpart, and a spring-retained manually operable handle movably mounted on the body portion for operating said actuating mechanism, the improvement comprising a unitary cover member having. front and bottom portions for coveringboththe front. and bottom parts of said body portion, said cover member being removable forwardly from the body portion to expose the actuating mechanism and staple magazine.

2, A machine according to claim 1 wherein a hard steel anvil piece is fixed on said bottom cover for cooperation with the shearing blade to facilitate the shearing action.

3. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the shearing. blade is removably attached to the hammer.

4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said hammer and blade-actuating spring is compressed-between said hammer and the top part 0f the front portion of the cover member, said top part having an opening for the passage of said spring, and a removable closure for said opening and forminga seat for compressing said spring against the hammer.

ALFRED JOHN BATTEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,927,274 Baur Sept. 19, 1933 1,959,888 Wilkins May 22, 1934 1,983,397' Polzer Dec. 4, 1934 2,130,734 Drypolcher Sept. 20, 1938 

